Latch.



. PATENTED JUNE-25, 1907- y P. W. MERRIWEATHER.

. LATCH.' A vAPPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1907.

W/r/vEssfs UNITED sTATEs EATENT oEEIcE.

L ATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application flied ret-wy 5,1907. serial No. 355.821.

T0 all 11171/0717/ it may concern:

Be it known that I,\FREDERICK WILLIAM MERRIwEATI-IER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Latch, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention is an improved latch for fastening doors and the like, of a type ordinarily known as a commode button.

The object of this invention, primarily, is to provide a device of this character, of simple construction, which will hold the door tightly closed and prevent any shake or looseness between the door and latch when the latter is applied, also to provide for the convenient adjustment of the tension on the button, whereby the stiffness of the latch may be varied.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet showing the Inanner in which my improved latch is applied to the door Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the door and latch, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spring button.

In carrying out my invention I employ a knob or handle 1 of any desired material or outward conformation, which is rigidly attached to a shank 2 passing through an opening in the door near its free edge. The shank 2 is of angular cross section, preferably square or oblong as shown in Fig. 1, and is provided with ratchetteeth 3 cut or otherwise formed in one of its edges. A button 4 on the latchis constructed of a strip of spring sheet Inetal bent upon itself near its center, to providespring arms 5 which are spaced apart and have alining openings 6 in their ends adapted to slidably engage with the shank 2, as illustrated in Fig. 2. A tongue 7 is cut from the upper arm 5 adjacent to its opening 6, and is bent upwardly to engage with the ratchet-teeth 3 when the button is applied to the shank 2.

It is obvious from this construction that on forcinga the spring arms 5 together, the force with which the knob and button are lpressed against opposite faces of the door may be varied as desired, thus enabling the stiness of the latch to be increased or decreased at pleasure, the spring-tongue 7 acting, in connection with the teeth 3, to retain the arms in adjusted position.

Having thus described my invention I claim vas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A latch comprising a handle having a shank, a button composed of two springarms spaced apart slidable on said shank, and means for holding said arms under compression.

2. A latch comprising a knob having a shank of angular cross .section rigidly fixed thereto, ratchet-teeth in one edge of the shank, a button consisting of a strip of spring metal bent upon itself to provide spring arms spaced` apart and slidable on said shank, and means carried by one of said arms for engaging said teeth.

3. A latch comprising a handle having a' shank, a button constructed of a strip of spring sheet metal bent upon itself to provide spring arms spaced apart and slidable on said shank, and means to prevent the retraction of the outer arm when pressed on said shank in the direction of the inner arm.

4. A latch comprising a handle having a- FREDERICK WILLIAM MERRIWEATHER.

Witnesses:

GRACE M. SHAFER, L. J. BIGKFORD. 

